Enhanced Guide to Oracle

10g
Chapter 5:
Introduction To Form Builder

Forms

Why Do We Use Form Builder?

Why Dont We Use SQL Only?!

Forms

Application with a graphical

user interface that looks like a
paper form
Used to insert, update, delete
and view database data

Primary Form Uses

Viewing/retrieving records
Inserting/updating/deleting
records
Counting the number of
records a query will retrieve

Data Block Forms

Form associated with a

specific Oracle database table
System automatically creates:

Text fields associated with table

fields
Programs for inserting,
modifying, deleting, and viewing
data records
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Data Block Forms

ORACLE 10g forms are

displayed on web browser as a
web page.
They are displayed in Forms
Services Window.
The form specification is
translated into Java Applet.
They are Dynamic Web Pages.

Steps of running the form

Design the form and write its
code (.fmb file)
Compile the form (.fmx file)
When you run the form:
OC4J Instance process converts
the compiled file into java
applet
Java applet form starts on the
web browser

Form Modes

Normal

You can view records and sequentially

step through records

Enter Query

You can enter search parameters in

form fields and then retrieve the
associated records
To place the form in Enter Query
mode, click the Enter Query button
8

Inserting New Records

In Normal mode, click the Insert

Record button
to insert a new
blank record
Type the data values in the form
fields
Click the Save button
to save
the values in the database
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Retrieving Records

Click the Enter Query button

to
place the form in Enter Query mode
Type a search condition
Click the Execute Query button
to retrieve selected records

If you click
, do not enter a search
condition, and then click
, all table
records will be retrieved
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Form Search Types

Exact search: only retrieves

records that exactly match the
entered search condition
Restricted search: retrieves
records that fall within a range of
values

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Restricted Search
Operators

_: wildcard replacing a single

character
%: wildcard replacing multiple
characters
>, <: greater than, less than
>=, <=: greater than or equal to,
less than or equal to
<> or !=: not equal to
12

Scrolling Through
Retrieved Records

To view the next record, click the

Next Record button
To view the previous record, click
the Previous Record button

13

Updating and Deleting

Records

Retrieve the record to be

updated or deleted

To update, change the data value

and click the Save button
To delete, click the Remove
Record button

14

Data Block Form File Types

.fmb

Form design file, used by form

programmer in Form Builder

.fmx

Form executable file, run by

form users

15

Form Components

Form module: form

application
Form window

Title bar on top

Horizontal and vertical scrollbars
Can be resized, maximized,
minimized
16

Form Components

Canvas

Block

Surface that displays form items

Object that contains form items

Form items

Command buttons, radio (option) buttons,

text items
Items in the same block can appear on
different canvases
17

Form Components
Name

Cash

Window
Canvas
Block of items

Check
Credit Card

18

Object Navigator

Forms Builder Toolbar.

Form Module.
Hierarchical Display.

19

Creating a Data Block

Form

Steps:
1. Create the data block using
the Data Block Wizard
2. Create the form layout using
the Layout Wizard

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Data Block Wizard

Welcome page
Type page

Table page

Select table or view on which to base the

block source
Select table associated with form
Enforce Integrity Constraint Check Box

Finish page

Option to use the Layout Wizard to

automate creating the layout
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Layout Wizard

Canvas page

Data Block page

Select the fields that are displayed on the layout

Items page

Select the canvas where the block is displayed

Specify the column labels, heights and widths

Style page

Specify to create a form- or tabular-style layout

22

Layout Styles

Form style

One record appears on the form at

a time

Tabular style

Multiple records display on the

form in a table

23

Form Builder Wizards

Are Re-entrant

You can select a block or layout, then reenter it and modify its properties using the
Wizard
A Wizard is in re-entrant mode when its
pages appear as tabs

24

Form Builder
Object Navigator
Window
Shows form objects
Allows developer to access form
objects
Object Navigator has 2 views

Ownership view: shows form objects

as a flat list
Visual view: hierarchical
relationships between objects
25

Guidelines For Configuring

Form Windows
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Change the window title

Allow user to minimize the window
Do not allow the user to maximize the
window
Do not allow the user to resize the window
Include horizontal and vertical scrollbars if
items appear beyond window boundaries
Make the form window fill the Forms
Runtime window
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Configuring Form Windows

Window
Title

Minimize/
Maximize buttons

Window
size

27

Creating a Form Based on

a Database View

View can be derived from one or

more database tables
Form based on a view allows you
to display data from table(s)
Form could be used to insert,
update, or delete data if the view
is a simple view only.
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Modifying Form Properties

Property
Nodes

Every form object has a Property

Palette that allows you to
configure form properties

Property List

29

Intersection Property
Palette

Used to change property of several

items to the same value

Intersection/Union button appears as

Name appears as *****

30

Frame Properties

Update Layout

Automatically

Manually

Frame items are automatically repositioned based on

their order in the Data Blocks list when you move or
resize a frame, or modify the form layout using the
Layout Wizard in reentrant mode
Items are automatically when layout is modified in
Layout Wizard in reentrant mode
Items are not repositioned if you move or resize the
frame

Locked

Items are never automatically repositioned

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Multiple-Table Forms

Data block forms can display data

from multiple tables that have a
master-detail relationship

Master record has multiple related detail

records
Examples:

One ITEM record has multiple related

INVENTORY records
One CUSTOMER might have multiple
CUST_ORDER records

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Master-Detail Forms

Master block

Detail block
33

Creating a Master-Detail
Form

Create the
master block
first
Specify the
relationship
on the Data
Block Wizard
Master-Detail
page of the
detail block
34

Complex Master-Detail
Relationships

A master block can have multiple detail

blocks

An item can be in multiple customer orders,

and have multiple shipment records

A detail block can be a master block in a

second master-detail relationship

A customer can have multiple CUST_ORDER

records
One CUST_ORDER record can have multiple
ORDER_LINE records

35

Complex Master-Detail
Relationship Example

Master
Detail

Detail
Master

36

Formatting Text Items

Specify desired format mask in text

item Format Mask property

If format mask makes value wider

than text item Data Width property,
data appears as #####

E.g: make the format mask for the empno

field in the form builder: 99- - 99 and
make the data length for the field 4.

37

Formatting Character Text

Items

Place embedded characters in

double quotes

38

Format Mask Examples

Value
Format Mask
Result
7945
999
###
7945
9999$
7945$
7945
99-99
79-45
34.28
99.9
34.3
34.28
99.999
34.280
SYSDATE Day-MON-YY Friday-NOV-06
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Form Triggers

PL/SQL procedure that runs in response to

a user or system action

Clicking a button
Loading a form
Exiting a form

Triggers can be associated with:

An entire form (form level)

A block (block level)
A specific form item (item level)
40

Using Form Triggers

Creating a trigger:
select the form or form item event
type the trigger code

Referencing a form item in PL/SQL code:

:block_name.item_name

Triggers are compiled before a form is

run
41

Using Sequences in Forms

Create a block-level WHENCREATE-RECORD trigger

Trigger PL/SQL code:

SELECT sequence_name.NEXTVAL
INTO :block_name.item_name
FROM DUAL;
42

Form Lists of Values (LOVs)

List of legal values that can be

selected for use in a form field
LOV
command
button

LOV
display

43

Creating an LOV Using the

LOV Wizard

1.

Use the LOV Wizard to:

2.

Specify the LOV display records

using a SQL query
Format the LOV display
Attach the LOV to a form text
item

Change the LOV and record group

name in the Object Navigator
44

Opening the LOV Display

Place the insertion point in the text

item to which the LOV is attached
Press CTRL+L, or from Edit menu
of the form choose the option
Display List

45

Creating a Command
Button to Open the LOV
Create a command button on
Display
the canvas

Iconic button
Displays an icon image from an .ico
file
Complete path to .ico file must be
specified in buttons ICON property

46

LOV Command Button

Trigger

Create a trigger for the button

that does the following:

1.

Places the form insertion point in the

text item to which the LOV is attached:

GO_ITEM(IN_VID);
2.

Executes the LIST_VALUES command:

LIST_VALUES;
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Alternate Form Input Items

Radio buttons
Check boxes

48

Radio Buttons

Limits user to one of two or more

related, mutually exclusive choices

49

Radio Groups

Related radio
buttons are part
of a radio group
Radio group
Individual related
radio buttons
50

Creating a Radio Group

1.

2.

3.

4.
5.

Create the form using the Data Block

and Layout Wizards
Open the item Property Palette, and
change the Item Type value to Radio
Group
Draw and format the radio buttons on
the canvas
Modify the radio button properties
Modify the radio group properties
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Important Radio Button

Properties
Name:
Name: how
howthe
the
button
is
button is
referenced
referenced
within
withinthe
theform
form
Label:
Label: description
descriptionthat
that
appears
next
to
the
appears next to the
button
buttonon
onthe
thecanvas
canvas

Radio
RadioButton
ButtonValue:
Value:
associated
associateddata
datavalue
valuein
in
the
thedatabase
database

52

Important Radio Group

Properties
Name:
Name: how
howthe
the
radio
radiogroup
groupisis
referenced
referenced
within
withinthe
theform
form

Initial
InitialValue:
Value: data
datavalue
value
of
ofthe
theradio
radiobutton
button
within
the
radio
within the radiogroup
group
that
is
selected
when
that is selected when
the
theform
formfirst
firstappears
appears

53

Check Boxes

Used to represent fields that

can have one of two values
Check box caption is
interpreted as TRUE or FALSE

If checked, caption is true

If cleared, caption is false

54

Check Box Example

55

Creating a Check Box

1.

2.

3.

Create the form using the Data

Block and Layout Wizards
Open the item Property Palette,
and change the Item Type value to
Check Box
Modify the item properties

56

Important Check Box

Properties
Label:
Label: description
descriptionthat
that
appears
appearsnext
nextto
tothe
thecheck
check
box
boxon
onthe
thecanvas
canvas
Value
Valuewhen
whenChecked:
Checked: data
data
value
valueof
ofthe
theitem
itemwhen
whenthe
the
box
boxisischecked
checked
Value
Valuewhen
whenUnchecked:
Unchecked:
data
datavalue
valueof
ofthe
theitem
itemwhen
when
the
thebox
boxisischecked
checked
Check
CheckBox
BoxMapping
Mappingof
of
Other
Values:
check
box
Other Values: check box
status
statuswhen
whenform
formfirst
first
opens,
or
when
new
opens, or when new
blank
blankrecord
recordisisadded
added

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